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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. band — a music group
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chest — of your body
  7. band — a ring
  8. net — for catching
  9. kid — child
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. net — after costs
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. chest — a box
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — in sport
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com